Children's home run by Oracle Care Limited in Central Bedfordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC066917 1 SC066917 Registered provider: Oracle Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to two children who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC066917 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/04/2021 Full Good 11/09/2019 Full Good 22/01/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness 12/07/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC066917 3

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home and three have moved out. Children settle here long term. One child lived at the home for five years, and another child lived here for two years. Staff support children to move in a planned way. Since November 2022, no children have lived in the home.

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improvement to be good

In July 2022, the home had a change of manager. This had a positive impact on children’s outcomes. A child’s social worker told the inspector, ‘Things improved further on in the placement with a change of manager.’ The independent person said that children’s life chances improved and that children began to respect boundaries after the new manager was in post.

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improvement to be good

Poor-quality internal planning means that children have not always received the help and support they need. Staff have not set clear targets and goals or regularly reviewed children’s progress against these. Additionally, staff have not consulted with children and encouraged them to invest in their progress by setting their own targets and goals. Lack of consultation denies children the opportunity to measure their progress and take pride in their achievements.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to see their families and rebuild relationships. A child’s social worker praised the really good communication between staff and a child’s family. The same social worker praised the work of the company clinician with the family which enabled this child to move to live back home.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children’s independence in an age-appropriate way. Staff supported a child to maintain part-time employment by driving him a considerable distance to and from his workplace. They supported the same child to improve his self-care skills. This enabled the child to stay in employment when they moved to live independently.

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improvement to be good

Managers ensure that the home is a homely place for children to live. Children’s bedrooms are ready for them to personalise. The home is generally comfortable and well decorated. Outside areas are available for children to spend time and play. During the inspection, the inspector found that two blind cords in a child’s bedroom are loose, which poses a hazard to children. A lounge has an area of damp on one wall. This is a known issue and is being addressed.

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improvement to be good

When incidents have occurred, managers have not critically evaluated staff practice and children’s responses. As a result, children’s plans have not been updated over time with strategies to support children to manage their behaviours and to reduce Inspection report for children’s home: SC066917 4 known risks. Additionally, plans are not individualised. They do not include the impact on one child’s behaviours of specific conditions. This means that staff have not had sufficient information to de-escalate children’s behaviours effectively.

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improvement to be good

Staff have struggled to work together as a team. A lack of clear boundaries means that children have not been supported by staff to feel safe and to regulate their own emotions. Inconsistent working practices affected one child’s ability to form trusting relationships with staff.

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improvement to be good

There were shortfalls in the previous manager’s oversight of restraints. The inspector identified shortfalls in the evaluation process, and the effectiveness of consequences is not always documented on children’s records.

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improvement to be good

The manager has taken safeguarding concerns and allegations made by children very seriously. The manager has reported concerns and followed safeguarding protocols when needed. When children were at risk of child exploitation, managers worked effectively with safeguarding agencies. Managers and staff educated children and implemented agreed strategies to keep them safe.

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improvement to be good

When children are at risk of self-harm, staff provide appropriate care and nurture to manage the situation. Consultations with clinicians and other health professionals are used effectively to improve staff practice and reduce risk.

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improvement to be good

Managers continue to ensure that the home environment is safe. A range of health and safety checks and fire safety checks are carried out to assess whether there are any hazards which could pose a risk to children. The home is a safe place for children to live.

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good

A newly appointed registered manager is in post. She is developing in her role and demonstrates good leadership skills. The registered manager is a strong advocate for children. A social worker praised the manager for strongly advocating for their child and supporting their wishes and feelings.

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good

The manager is supported by the responsible individual, who has a good track record in the company. The registered manager and the responsible individual work together as a team. They are child focused and consistently consider the children’s needs.

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good

Currently, the home is not sufficiently staffed to admit children. Under the previous manager, staff received regular supervision and attended team meetings and clinical consultations. However, staff did not feel well supported. Morale was low, and practice had fallen below expected standards. As a result, staff retention has been affected. Managers recognise that when staff are recruited, they will require firm leadership and guidance to help staff to improve the quality of care that children Inspection report for children’s home: SC066917 5 receive. Ongoing good-quality training and support are required to embed good practice.

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good

Staff received a wide range of training that was specific and relevant to children’s needs. Furthermore, additional workshops for upskilling staff have been delivered in clinical meetings. However, staff have not benefited from training that was specific to one child’s known risks and vulnerabilities. This affected staff’s ability to respond appropriately and to support the child to manage their behaviours.

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good

Children understand how to make complaints and raise concerns about the care they receive in the home. However, on one occasion, a manager did not support a child in line with the home’s internal policy and did not write to them to inform them of the outcome of their complaint. Inspection report for children’s home: SC066917 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers ensuring that risk assessments are regularly updated with information about children’s new and emerging risks. 30 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 30 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC066917 7 ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers ensuring that sufficient staff are recruited to safely care for children and that all staff maintain professional boundaries and working practices. Additionally, ensure that staff receive good-quality training that is relevant to children’s needs.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(g)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers ensuring that complaints from children are considered and responded to in line with company policy. 30 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

that staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(f)) 30 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC066917 8 This specifically relates to managers ensuring that children receive planned care and are involved in reviewing their progress and in setting new targets and goals.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (3)(a)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to behaviour management records and evaluating the effectiveness of consequences given to children in the home. 30 April 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the high expectations for standards of behaviour are understood by all staff and children in the home. Children should be supported to develop understanding and empathy towards each other. Positive behaviour and relationships should be reinforced, praised and encouraged. Poor behaviour should be challenged and discussed. The development of safe, stable and secure relationships in the home should be central to the ethos of the home and support the development of secure attachments that, where appropriate, persist over time. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.11)  The registered person should ensure that the home meets children’s basic day-to- day needs and physical necessities. Staff should seek to meet the child’s basic needs in the way that a good parent would, recognising that many children in

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Recommendations

residential care have experienced environments where these needs have not been consistently met. Doing so, is an important aspect of demonstrating that the staff care for the child and value them as an individual. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7) Inspection report for children’s home: SC066917 9

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: SC066917 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Oracle Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suites 1 and 5, Riverside Business Centre, Foundry Lane, Milford, Belper, Derbyshire DE56 0RN

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Inspector

Karen Gillingwater, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC066917 11 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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